Vessel locating and recovering means



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' Y J. 51:. BISHOP VESSEL LOCA'iING AND RECOVERING MEANS 6, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec.

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J. T. BISHOP VESSEL LOCATING AND RECOVERING MEANS Filed Dec, 6? 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW WWW June 26, 11923. 1,459,7M

- J. T. BISHOP VESSEL LOCATING AND RECOVERING MEANS Filed Dec. 6, 1920 4 Sheets-$heet 3 INVEN, T HE June 26, 1923.

J. T. BISHOP VESSEL LOCATING AND RECOVERING MEANS Filed Dec. 6, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 26, 1923.

' UNITED STATES:

JOSEPH T. BISHOP, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TQ JAMES A. PE COBJ D,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

VESSEL IiOGATING ANZD .RECOVERING MEANS.

Application filed December 6, 1920. Serial 110. 428,445. i

To all eohom it may 00m 1 Be it known that I, J osncen BIsHor, a

Means; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for locatingjand. recovering sunken vessels.

he object of the invention is the provision ofsimple' and eliicientmeans of this character which is attached to and carried by a, vessel and has a pontoon, which upon the sinking of thevessel floats on the water surface but remains in attached relation to the vessel to facilitate the locating and attaching of a hoisting cable thereto.

further object of the invention is to provide the pontoon with-a signal means which is inoperative except when the pontoon is floatingon the waterin separated. relation to the.

associated vessel.

The invention. is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broaderaspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying through an opening in the deck and winds ona drum 18, which is mounted within thev drawings, in which,-

with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a different fragmentary sectional elevation of a vessel equipped with the invention. Fig. 3

is an enlarged fragmentary viewof the pontoon member with parts broken away to illustrate a v portion of the electric signal m'me'ans. Figdlis an enlarged sectional detail of the automatic make-and-break switch of the signal means. Fig. 5 is a: sectional detail of the main floatoperated switch of the signal-means. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of :a-brake band and itstension means em-. ployed in oonnectionwith one of the wind lass drums-I Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section of thegrapple means in connection with the grapple member of asunken vessel withsa d member p rtly k n. aw y, a

A located without an upright portion 13 on and Fig.8 isaside elevation of the grapple means shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the hull of a vessel on the'deck 2 of which, at one side thereof or in any. other suitable position, is fixedly mounted azpair of standards 3 having the upper end thereof forked in U-shape to provide chairs for receiving and supportin .a pontoon 4. Thepontoon 1s provided W113i suitable guides'for slid'-,

ingly receiving theside arms of the supports so that upon a sinking of the vessel the per portion of the pontoon and connected by a set of gears 11to an operating crank 12 the top of the pontooni brake wheel fixed.

to an end ofthe drum 6 is engaged by a frictionbrake band 14:, one end of which is fixed while the other is connectedto a tension lever 15,. which is attached to and has its holding tension regulated by a bolt 16 and tension spring 17. i a

The outer end of the, cable 7 with respect to the drum 6 extends downward therefrom the vessel. This drum ispreferably larger than'the drum (Sand may be manually turned by means of a crank 20 on the shaft on.

which is a pinion 21 in mesh with a gear 22 on the drum shaft. The turning of the.

drum 18 is. regulateduby a friction brake means, the band 23 of which is adjustable to. regulate its tension the sameas described in connection with the brake band 14. The

cable 7 passes freely through a grapple mem-, ber 24,. which is attached to the the present instance for free swivel movements relative thereto. The anchoring vessel in i means for the grapple member is designated 25 and may be braced and strengthenedwith respect to the essel by tie rods 26 or in any i other suitable manner. The upper end portion of the member 24 is formed with downwardly and outwardly tapering head 27 having a flange 28 at its lower edge with which a set of grappling hooks may be engaged as hereinafter described.

The grappling means comprises a slide block 29 adapted to be" mounted for longi tudinal sliding movements on the cable 7 between the drum 6 and grappling member 24, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the blockbeing carried by a hoisting cable 30, which may be paid out from an-y suitable hoisting means located above thevessel. The block 29' is provided with a plurality of grapple hooks 31, three in' number in the present in stance; which are pivoted adjacent to the lower end of the block and havetheir lower ends hooked-and inpositionto straddle and engage under the flanged head 27 of the member 24 when lowered into engagement therewith. The hooks 3l'have upwardlyextending arms adapted to lie in grooves 32 along the; sides of the block 29' when the hooks are" in released position. A spring 33'- acts on each arm 31 to normallyreta-in' the hook in grapple head engaging position. The hooks'may be retained in open position,- with the upper arms thereof-lying'in the recesses32, by a holding ring 34, which is carried by theb-lock 29 for limitedmovements longitudinally thereof and is adapted to engage over'the upper ends ofthe hook arms when the block-29I has'been lowered into grapple head engaging position. it collaror plate 35 is carried below the block 29 by one or more'rods 36' projecting down through the block and when the block has lowered into grapple head engaging position, the plate androd 36 are moved upward by reason of the engagement of the grapple head with the plate, thereby causing a lifting of the collar 34 by the raising movement of the rod, the collar 34 having a finger 37 projecting inward therefrom into register with the rod.

The pontoon 4 is provided with an electric signal lamp 38 which is in circuit, through wires 39, with a storage battery 40 located within a closed water tight compartment 41 in the pontoon (Fig. 3). One of the wires 39 has an automatic float operating switch 42 disposed therein and adapted to auto-' matically close the signal circuit when the p'ontoon'is in the water.- This switch comprises a tubular casing 43 mounted on and rising from the bottom of the pontoon interiorly thereof and having an insulated tubular electrical conducting member 44 mounted thereon and closed at its top. A stationary switch point or member 45 connects to one side of the broken line and projects within the member 44,- and a float operated switch member 46 rises within the tubular members 43 and 44 to havecontact with the point 45. The member 46 is electrically connected to the member 44 by a guide collar 47 through which it operates, the member 44 being electrically connected to the other Side of the break in'the line. The rodor member 46 forming. the movable switch member projects down through the bottom of the pontoon and carries a float 48 within an annular. guard flange 49 secured to the under side of the pontoon bottom. The chamber within" the tubular members 43 and 44 is air tight so that ifany leakage of water should occur through the opening through which the" member" 46 passes; the compression of the air within the switch chamber will prevent the rising of water to any considerable extent within the chamber.

The signal line 39 also has an interruptswitch 50 disposed therein and automatically operable by motion ofthe; pontoon to open and close the signal circuit so that, if a light is" employed as asignal means it is caused to have intermittent flashing action. This switch comprises a conductor membertl carried by an insulation strip 52 secured to the under sideof thejpentoon top and connected too'ne side of'the switch operating line. A pendulum switchmember 53' is' suspended from" the member 51 for universal swinging movements, being weighted at' its lower end to facilitate such aetion, and when. swungi'ir different directions from normal position is adapted to make contact- With an encircling rin 541 suspended from the bottom of the insulating plate-52 and having connect line.

diameter of the drum 18 than-the drum 6. If the vessel continues" to' sink after the cable on the arm 18 has all paid out, then the cablewill begin 'to pay outfrom the drum 6. Upon the lowering: or the pontooni nto the water the switch float 48 will be: raised, closing the signal circuit, and the motion imparted to the pontoon by the action of the" waves will cause a rocking of the'pen'du-lnm:

switch member 53 to make and breakthe signal circuit to transmit an intermittent:

signal, which if alight is used, is" of the flash type. When it is desired to recover. the sunken vessel, a. grapple block 29'is lowered on the cable 7 by which it is'g'uidedto the grapple member. 24' on the vessel so" as to permit the grapplehooks 31 to engage under th grapplehead of sueli' memgben- The.

ion with theother side ofthe' In'the use of my invention, the-:pentoen is ments therefrom when the vessel sinks, a

Windlass drumcarried by the pontoon, a Windlass drum carried by the vessel, adjustable means associated With each drum to resist a turning thereof in'one direction, a cable connecting the two drums and Winding on each, one drum being adapted to unwind before the other upon a separation of the Vessel and pontoon.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH T. BISHOP. r 

